October 22, 2007

Jenny McCarthy: 'Autism is treatable'

Actress and comedian Jenny McCarthy was working on her latest book one Sunday when her 4-year-old son wanted to talk. He was so chatty -- and distracting -- that McCarthy finally said, "Evan, can you please just stop talking for a whole five minutes today?"

Then she covered her mouth with her hand.

"Wow. Flash back in time and think about how I had wished and prayed to say that to my kid," she wrote in her best-selling memoir, "Louder Than Words: A Mother's Journey in Healing Autism" (Dutton $23.95).

"I got down on my knees and said, 'No, Evan, Mamma made a mistake. You can talk and talk and talk and talk as much as you want, OK?'"

It's a moment most parents of children with autism only dream about. But McCarthy's current mission in life -- and the impetus behind her fourth book -- is to use the Chicago native's famously big mouth to spread an unusual message: There is hope. Autistic children can recover.

"It's kind of like trying to shift the planet without causing a frenzy," said McCarthy, a former Playboy Playmate of the Year who is now a national spokeswoman for Talk About Curing Autism (TACA). "I'm really coming out on my own and saying things that no one has been able to say: Autism is treatable."

Not everyone agrees, which is part of what makes McCarthy's current media blitz so controversial. But Evan, who was diagnosed with autism after a series of seizures at age 3 -- something McCarthy believes was triggered by vaccines -- is now a typical and communicative 5-year-old who makes eye contact and no longer flaps his arms.

Though he's not completely "cured," McCarthy credits much of his turnaround to alternative "biomedical" interventions that include nutritional changes, detoxification therapies, gastrointestinal treatments and dietary supplements on top of intense behavioral and speech therapy.

When McCarthy removed wheat gluten and casein (found in dairy) from Evan's diet, she said he doubled his language and regained eye contact within two weeks. After treating his yeast overgrowth using antifungal medication, "his social development was back on," she said.

Although these treatments don't produce changes in every child, they're considered normal protocol by the Defeat Autism Now! (DAN!) project, which brings together researchers and parents for biannual conferences. DAN! also provides contacts for the approximately 600 doctors in the U.S. who use complementary and alternative therapies to treat autism.

But biological interventions aren't recommended by mainstream pediatricians, who often are the first point of contact for parents concerned with their child's development.

Although the American Academy of Pediatrics recognizes the use of nutritional approaches to treat autism-spectrum disorders in a new clinical report to be released next week, it won't support or refute them until more scientific evidence is available. Many parents, however, believe there is everything to gain and little to lose.

McCarthy wasn't about to wait for evidence-based medicine; she felt she had a limited window of time to pull her son back into this world. After writing her book, she was floored by the number of parents who shared her experience.

"Jenny's story is my story, almost word for word," said Aurora's Jill Konczak, whose 6-year-old son, Kurt, is on the autistic spectrum, yet doctors never suggested removing milk from his diet. "[My] poor little boy literally went through the same withdrawal a crack addict would go through," she said. But "we reached huge milestones with that simple change."

McCarthy's impact on the autism community, meanwhile, has been so dramatic that some are referring to this period as "After Jenny." It's not just that she is voicing the same thing parents have been saying for years ("We vaccinated our babies and something happened") on high-profile programs such as "The Oprah Winfrey Show" and "Larry King Live."

"I want to be these women's voices," she said. "When I was 20, I had a feeling I'd be an activist, but I always thought, 'Please, God, don't let it be breast cancer.' Now I can't tell you how much I wish it was breast cancer."

Comments

The vaccination arguement has been going on for so long. Jenny in right on the money. But, those who stand to make money from the shot are feeding the public all of the wrong info.
Also if the truth came out, there would be a fear of lawsuits.
Thank you Jenny M...your doing good work!

Maybe the AAP is also trying to figure out what is with all of the cases of allergies to these common products? It just doesn't make sense.
And a follow-up question is - do these kids have to be on a modified diet all of their lives?

It seems to be increasingly more evident, as we gather stories like the above, where some fixes work brilliantly for some kids and do nothing for others, that autism probably isn't a single disease with a single cause, but a syndrome that can be triggered by many different things - and thus cured, or mitigated, by many different things as well. And in some cases, it may not be treatable at all. But as soon as we acknowledge that it has many possible etiologies, we'll be well on our way to treating it appropriately.

This is great information. It is so hard to see my grandson so under developed while his peers and younger cousins progress so normally. I will never take a child's health so much for granted ever again. Please continue to give autism the attention it needs to be better understood by all of us. I think the more we understand the less denial there will be and so we will act sooner and more effectively.

Why is it that everything MUST be assignable? Children have been getting vaccines for MANY years right along with the smallpox stuff that left scars on our arms from the late 40's and early 50's. So now, after all these years and nothing near the autistic population we now have, it's the vaccine's fault? PLuh-EASE! How about it being the fact that all these Babe's took birth control pills all these years? or, because of population explosion, there are more people breeding that carry the gene for autisim? Not everything is somebody else's fault - exceptions occur, but the bottom line? It's not your right to get "rich" off the vaccine makers who have saved millions of people and erradicated several fearsom diseases.

Spoken like a true company line employee, Sylve. How can you ignore the FACTS that are out there about mercury present in vaccines? I like how you ignore that and try to assign "responsibility" to birth control, population expansion, etc.

I won't say that it's impossible that the things you mention *could* contribute to a state of autism, but it's ignorant of you to ignore the facts that are out there. As parents, it's our job to read books, magazine articles, and other information on how in the past there HAVE been problems with vaccinations & its ingredients leading to autism in children. It's our duty and right to make the choices for our young defenseless and innocent child and his/her health.

While I *think* it's common knowledge that kids' vaccines have improved over the years, there's still the threat present, and parents have every right to worry. Every time I take my son to the doctor and it's "shot time," we ask a lot of questions and do our homework beforehand to make sure that a vaccination a Dr. wants isn't unnecessary or potentially harmful to our son. We've come across several shots that we've refused because of the threat of formula contamination / mercury / etc. While it is important for kids to get vaccinated, our son is not in day care, he's at home with his Mommy every day...so he doesn't need all the shots that are "recommended" for kids whose parents dump them off at day care every day and are susceptible to all kinds of ailments. Like a few "hepatitis" shots that were recommended; we learned from reliable sources that a kid at 1 or 2 isn't susceptible to the ailment & therefore the shot was not necessary at that age with the potential risks involved.

Though I don't doubt you're "educated," Sylve, toeing the company line as you do is disappointing. We're not against vaccinating our kids, it's about being aware of unnecessary vaccinations and not being interested in administering a vaccine that's not necessary for a 1 or 2 year old...when it's unnecessary and seemingly, sometimes, just to make money for pharmaceutical companies when it's not in the best interest of the child's health.

Bertie... FYI general practitioners are not compensated for giving vaccination shots to children. For the time being, there is no research to prove that vaccinations are the cause of autism. Furthermore, there is also research to prove that the vaccinations are vital to keep other diseases at bay. Until the scientific community can prove that vaccines are the problem, it is hard to accept Jenny's proposal. Thimerisol has not been in vaccinations for almost two years now, yet new children continue to develop autism. Twin children can both receive vaccinations yet only one develops autism. It is wrong to think this is a conspiracy by the GPs of the world just to line their pockets, and it is wrong for Jenny McCarthy to blame her son's autism on his vaccination based solely on "mommy instinct" and "Google University".

According to the Congressional Quarterly, the White House stated on Tuesday that President Bush would veto the HHS-Labor-Education Appropriations Bill because of the cost and "objectionable provisions" such as a measure to ban the use of childhood flu vaccines that contain thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative.

Autism advocacy groups are outraged because President Bush stated in a questionnaire during his 2004 campaign: "I support the removal of Thimerosal from vaccines on the childhood national vaccine schedule. During a second term as President, I will continue to support increased funding to support a wide variety of research initiatives aimed at seeking definitive causes and/or triggers of autism. It is important to note that while there are many possible theories about causes or triggers of autism, no one material has been definitely included or excluded."

But since 2005, President Bush has steadfastly refused to issue an Executive Order banning high amounts of mercury in vaccines that would protect children and pregnant women despite repeated requests from the autism community that he uphold his campaign promise. Under his current administration, mercury has been and will continue to be knowingly injected into the youngest of American citizens. The controversial mercury-containing preservative thimerosal has been linked by thousands of parents as being the cause of their children's mercury poisoning and autism.

Thimerosal has not been removed, eventhough the wonderful press has told you so. Think for yourself, look at the facts.

FYI to you Steve it is that smugness in your response that make a whole lot of parents mistrust docs. I am assuming you are a doc based on your response to Bertie who did not mention doctors at all in her post.

Maybe Miss McCarthy does not enjoy your educational background, but she appears to have something that your university training missed; the opportunity to actively play a role in creating a thinking being with love, heart, and common sense.

I was a young mom and my mother's instinct, along with words of wisdom from my mother elders, kept my son safe from a whole lot textbook only knowledge dispensed by newly minted MDs who knew absolutely nothing about real life babies.

Miss McCarthy may appear to be unqualified in "your" eyes, but to so many desperate parents who have tried the knowledge she gained from talking with God about the baby she carried under her heart and bore as a gift to all of us, she is the master. Her love of her boy is making a whole lot of folks think and take a closer look at what so many elders knew; these baby shots, while stated to be of greater benefit than a child getting what they thought of as normal childhood diseases that built immunity, could be doing some serious harm of their own.

If you are a doc please try not to be so smug and know-it-all for sometimes mother's wit and a mother's instinct trumps any textbook and lab rat knowledge you have worked hard at obtaining,

The fact that we are all paying attention to this is a GIANT leap in the right direction. But, what everyone seems to have missed is what brought her son BACK!! She removed gluten and casein from his diet. These products are in EVERYTHING! His comeback is one of many from other "diseases" besides autism. Food allergies are huge and gluten and casein are the biggest culprits. We need to address the toxic amount of gluten and COW"S milk derivatives in so many prducts. If I had not gone to alternative medicine for help, I would still be hearing a gastrointestinal specialist telling me to take anti-depressants for what turned out to be Celiac disease!!
McCarthy sheds the light, albeit through her status, on an important issue for all of us and our children. I hope every bit of controversy helps!

"Why is it that everything MUST be assignable? Children have been getting vaccines for MANY years right along with the smallpox stuff that left scars on our arms from the late 40's and early 50's. So now, after all these years and nothing near the autistic population we now have, it's the vaccine's fault? PLuh-EASE! "

Yes, vaccines have been around for 60 or so years. However, we have thousands of new chemicals introduced since then. Who can say what the synergistic effect might be? We are ALL guinea pigs. And to even suggest that autism might be due to birth control pills is inexcusable ignorance of the highest level. Kind of like psychology blaming "refrigerator" mothers decades ago for autism!!

Let me see if I understand this: President Bush claimed during the campaign that he supported removing thimerosal from vaccines, now he threatens to veto legislation to do exactly that? That shocks me. President Bush has always been so true to his word: he said he was against nation building, supported a humble foreign policy and promised to restore honor and integrity to the White House. Um. Er. Nevermind.

For all of you that are misunderstanding what Jenny McCarthy is saying about vaccines, let me enlighten you. She is NOT saying that vaccines are not beneficial. What she is saying is that with the vaccines, it is not one size fits all. We CAN"T keep giving our children these vaccines when we have absolutely no idea as to how they will react to them. Some previous post said something about giving twins the same vaccination and only one develops autism. Each person has a different physiolgoy. Not everyone reacts the same to Aspirin, therefore it is not given to everyone. But these vaccinations are adminstered to every child. And when parents say no to the vaccinations, they are made to feel bad about their decision. I am the father of a 4 year boy with Autism (just diagnosed) and we have a 4 month old that we have not vaccinated and we have no intention of doing it. At least until we know how he will react to them and any side affects. Jenny is a great voice for the Autisic community because we know that she will be heard.

"A 15-member Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices at the CDC decides which vaccines should be on the Childhood Immunization Schedule. It calls for one vaccine, against hepatitis B, to be given on the day of birth; 7 vaccines at two months; 6 more (including booster shots) at four months; and as many as 8 vaccines on the six month well-baby visit. Before a child reaches the age of two he or she will have received 32 vaccinations on this schedule, including four doses each of vaccines for Hemophilus influenzae type b infections, diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis – all of them given during the first 12 months of life. Seven vaccines injected into a 13 lb. two-month old infant are equivalent to 70 doses in a 130 lb. adult.

Fifty years ago, when the immunization schedule contained only four vaccines (for diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, and smallpox), autism was virtually unknown. First discovered in 1943, this most devastating malady in what is now a spectrum of pervasive developmental disorders afflicted less than 1 in 10,000 children. Today, one in every 68 American families has an autistic child. Other, less severe developmental disorders, rarely seen before the vaccine era, have also reached epidemic proportions. Four million American children have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. One in six American children are now classified as "Learning Disabled." "

Please see additional information and full article at: www.lewrockwell.com/miller/miller15.html

I thank God that I did the research BEFORE I let them poison my child with vaccinations. Kudos to Jenny McCarthy for speaking out!

This is always going to be an emotional issue because we are talking about our children. And, of course, NO one wants to take blame. How could we? Regardless of position, parent, chemist, marketer, teacher, grand-parent -- Who could bear the guilt of responsibility for the agony an child with autism (anywhere on the spectrum) must endure? Personally, I almost turned myself into social services when I 'missed' as I was clipping my baby boy's fingernails and made his finger bleed!!
Having been a teacher of students with special needs for more than 20 years, I have seen the increase first hand. I have seen children for whom the dietary approach made a HUGE difference. I watched a young man with significant autism, get a job, a driver's license, walk across the stage and graduate high school, shaking hands with the principal, hugging me... one whom a colleague had told me was 'non-verbal' and unteachable. I have also seen four year olds with autism who could destroy a room in 60 seconds and finish up by biting a hefty bruise on my thigh. It seemed as if nothing could reach him.
The bottom line is this: we must understand that our society has become so chemically complex that there cannot be a finger pointed at one cause for ADHD, SLD, BED or Autism. Our focus must be THREE-fold.
1. We have to eliminate as many artificial agents as possible from our surrounding environment. ( Estimate by reading labels how many chemicals YOU introduce to your body daily and then, guess how many micro-waves {radiation} you are exposed to daily.)
2. We must eliminate artificial chemicals (additives in foods and other...) we ingest.
3. In teaching and training children, we must combine many methods and be consistent with our children who have significant disabilities.
Only when we let go of fear and all start cooperating instead of fighting over causes, will we really make progress. Doesn't our future generation deserve this from us?